The Stream: Sci-Fi Cult Films

The gaming console has come a long way. It’s more than just a box that contains Mario or GLaDOS. Now the console provides easy access to games, apps, the Internet. And yes, movies. More people stream offerings from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus and even purchase more flicks through the Xbox and PS3 than they do physical DVDs or Blu-rays.

But this can become quite cumbersome when you’re trying to decide what to watch.

So here I am.

As a huge fan of cinema and life-long lover of film, each week I'll help separate the wheat from the chaff and toss out a few streaming selections that I feel are worth checking out.

The format is simple. I’ll pick a theme and select three films dedicated to it. Then there will be an Editor’s Choice where I’ll chat about something that I've recently watched.

This week we're gonna give a look-see at three sci-fi cult films from the 80's, 70's and 60's before I profile a recently watched and rediscovered silent film in the Editor's Choice section. So, prep the popcorn and punch your tickets, this week's edition of The Stream starts right now!

Scientist, rock star, national treasure Buckaroo Banzai (Weller) and his trusted team The Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on Red Lectroids from Planet 10 led by Lord John Worfin (Lithgow). The Lectroids are after Banzai’s latest invention: the Oscillation Overthruster, which they need to break through to their home located in the 8th dimension.

If you ever wanted a definition for the word “oddball,” this is the film. Buckaroo Banzai is a movie that defines cult cinema. A bomb on its original release, it slowly started to find an audience, on video and cable, who appreciated the zany, out-there science fiction of Buckaroo’s world. It has a sense of humor all its own and a silver-age comic book mentality that makes it wholly original. The best part is how hard everyone works to make his or her characters real. No matter how campy it gets, there is never a wink to the camera. Its adherence to serio-wackiness (not sure if that is a real word) was probably hard to stomach for a lot of folks back in 1984, but today it can be appreciated for its off-kilter comedy. Endlessly quotable, great performances and a killer soundtrack, this is a film worthy of its following that demands to be seen by as many people as possible.

The USA has collapsed into a fascist state. Every year, to satiate the public, a three-day car race is held. Racers drive theme based death machines across America, scoring points by mowing down pedestrians. Frankenstein (Carradine) is the champion and he and his navigator (Griffeth) take on other drivers like "Machine Gun" Joe Viterbo (Stallone), Nero the Hero, Matilda the Hun, and Calamity Jane. But this year is different. Frankenstein has a plan. Not just to win the race, but also to help topple the government.

Lambasted by critics at the time of its release (Roger Ebert gave it zero stars) Deathrace 2000 has become a cult classic and has inspired video games, (the Carmageddon series), a spin off comic book run and a remake in 2008 staring Jason Statham. Yet nothing could touch the original. It is campy fun with a rebellious edge that satires societal blood lust, television, sexual politics and even the separation of church and state. This is an exploitation movie that is more entertaining than most summer blockbusters and may actually have more social meaning than most Oscar winners. I’m looking at you, Chicago.

Interplanetary ships on a deep space expedition receive a distress signal from an unexplored planet. They land to discover the signal is coming from a crashed ship. Slowly but surely an unseen alien force possesses corpses and begins to pick off the rescue crew one by one.

If anything in that synopsis sounds familiar, it’s because Planet of The Vampires seems to have had a strong influence on the plot of Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). It does have a lot of great atmosphere, bizarre production design and space suits with collars so high that drag queens might feel it’s a little too much. Legendary filmmaker Mario Bava, who is known for making something out of nothing and inspiring a ton of genre filmmakers, directed this flick. He’s the godfather of slasher and horror movies, every so often breaking out into sci-fi and even the spy genre, as was the case with the incredibly enjoyable Danger Diabolik (1968).

Here, Bava was able to manipulate cheap sets and papier-mâché rocks into a creepy atmosphere by adding a ton of smoke and lighting effects. Although the name is a misnomer–no vampires ever appear–this is a solid low budget space flick that has its roots deep in the horror genre.

Joan of Arc (Falconetti) is put on trial in an attempt to discredit her beliefs that God has given her the mission to drive the English from France. Spoilers: It doesn’t end well for her.

This is a silent film that is supposed to be watched without a music track. Right away, you’re turned off, I know. I was for years. I would have thought watching this would have been more like homework. I was wrong. This is an incredible film with a performance by Falconetti that is mind blowing. And the finale where she is burned at the stake is as riveting as any action film today.

Even more impressive is one of the stories behind the film. The original was thought lost until a print was discovered in a janitors closet in an insane asylum in Oslo Norway. How it got there, no one knows. Why they might have even screened it to patients there… Therapy?

—

So, there we have it! I hope you have the opportunity to check out a few (or all) of these and that this debut edition of The Stream has brought you a wee-bit-o'-joy this weekend. I'll be back next week and if you have any suggestions or comments on how I can make this better, let me know below. Adios for now.